Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The information in this report is from the Solon Police. An arrest does not mean a conviction.
A 39-year-old Solon resident is out nearly $5,000 after he fell victim to a phone scame about a timeshare property, according to Solon Police. The man said he was contacted about a month ago from a supposed brokerage firm inquiring about the man's membership in a vacation club in Mexico. The man on the phone told the victim he had a client interested in paying $945 for five weeks of vacation. The caller told the victim to transfer $4,617 to the brokerage company as fees and tax payments. They also asked for his bank information and a copy of his driver's license, which the victim provided. The man later because suspicious when the brokerage firm tried to get more money from him. He investigated and learned it was a scam…
Friday, October 19, 2012
The information in this report is from the Solon Police.
A 25-year-old man who works in Solon had to deal with a scary situation: He received a call from an unknown person claiming to have his social security number. The scarier part: The caller actually did have his social security number, and tried to extort the victim for money, according to Solon Police. The worker, an employee of Brennan Industries on Cochran Road, received the call on his company phone. He contacted the police, and an officer called and talked to the scammer, who claimed to be a an FBI agent named "Gail." The officer went back to the police station to write up a police report on the matter, and the victim call him and to say that the scammer called back claiming to be the police officer, according to the report. Police …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
The information in this report is from the Solon Police.
A 73-year-old Solon woman was leaving Giant Eagle on Sept. 25 when two women approached with an offer that seemed to good to be true. Turns out it was scam, and now the woman is out $700, according to Solon Police. According to the report, the victim was approached by two women described as in their 50s and "nicely dressed," The women gave her a story that they had a wallet with $100,000 inside, and that the man who owned the wallet couldn't have it because he was being pursued by the IRS. The women asked the victim to give them $700 and that they would go to the bank and bring back a third of the $100,000 to give to her. The victim had $120 on her, but then went to the ATM to withdraw another $580, which she gave to the women. They left …
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The information in this report is from the Solon Police Department.
Solon Police believe a local technology business had more than $75,000 in merchandise stolen by Internet scammers. Winncom Technologies, a company located on Carter Street that sells wireless networking equipment and servers, said that a man by the name of "David Graves" -- police believe it's a fake name -- purchased $75,621.65 worth of equipment using an American Express card. But it turns out that the card belongs to a California man who did not buy anything from Winncom, according to the police report. The items were shipping to addresses in Texas and Michigan. When police called the Michigan address, it turned out to be a private home. The woman who answered the phone told police that the equipment was shipped to her home as a favor …
Thursday, June 16, 2011
A 20-year-old Solon man told police he was tricked out of $100 by a man with a far-fetched story
A 20-year-old Solon man was sitting in his car in the Giant Eagle Parking lot last Saturday when he fell victim to a scam. He told police that a man approached his car crying. The man said his name was Stephen Campbell and that he's a minister with a daughter suffering from a medical condition and he needed a ride to Walmart on Rockside Road to get a money order for $83.25 so he could buy her medicine. The Solon man fell for it, and took the man to the Walmart. The man emerged from the Walmart, crying again, saying he couldn't get the money. So the Solon man gave him $100 and took him to a convenient mart in Euclid so he could buy his daughter iron pills. The two men exchanged contact information and the man promised to pay the 20-year-old…
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
A Solon woman is out about $1,800 after she fell for an e-mail scam purportedly looking for secret shoppers
Solon Police say residents should be alert for an email scam looking for secret shoppers that already hit one Solon woman. A 36-year-old woman told police she received an email recently soliciting for secret shoppers, those people who go to stores and shop secretly to give feedback on how the retail operation is working. Problem is, this "opportunity" was a scam. The woman replied to the email and received a check May 4 for $2,000 with instructions to send $1,700 to an address in Madrid, Spain. Of course, the check was fake. The woman now has to pay the bank back the $1,700 plus $103 in fees. Police say residents should be on alert for this scam.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Local photographer targeted by common wedding industry scam
A local wedding photographer thought she was booking a wedding for a faraway bride looking to marry back home in Solon. Turns out, she was targeted in what has become a widespread scam in the wedding industry. According to a police report, the photographer was contacted earlier this month by a woman looking to get married in Solon. They negotiated a price of $1,293, and the woman said she would mail a check since she was living in the United Kingdom. When the photographer received the payment, it was a check for $3,000 from the Eary Learning Institute of Pittsburgh. The woman called the photographer and said her fiance accidently sent to much money, and asked the photographer to cut a check and mail back the difference. The photographer …
Carol L Smith
3:33 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
NEVER pay someone up front to rent your timeshare for you! As this guy found out, it's a scam. There's a great website (google timeshare users group) of timeshare owners that can help you maximize your timeshare. As a timeshare owner I've learned a lot from them! more ›